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"You can always buy more wood!" Obi Wan BrundallNavy
One of the best tips I've been given!

A tip of my own...boats, well old boats, were built using the imperial measurement scale, timber is sold in metric measurements, tools are sold in metric measurements and imperial measurements but most often are metric equivalents of standard imperial sizes. So pick a measurement system and stick to just that measurement system don't mix imperial with metric. 

Additional sticky 'mesures' can be bout from www.rutlands.co.uk and www.axminster.co.uk in both imperial and metric to apply to machinry etc.

A tip I've not tried yet is...Quite a few boaters were chuckling when I parted with quite a bit of cash for some bilgex. I was advised to buy some dishwasher liquitabs and scatter them in the bilges every now and then.

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12 hours ago, Simonboatshift said:

Regarding the waterline marks, lidl do a bottled descaler which works pretty well, or brick cleaner from the builders merchants.  If you find yourselves in France, pop into any supermarket and buy a couple of bottles of hydrochloric acid.  About €1.50 for a 1l. bottle.  This is best for when the boats out of the water, Drill a small hole in the lid and dribble it along the hull so it trickles down over the scum line.  With rubber gloves on, run a sponge over it to completely cover the scum and simply wash it off, or better, pressure washer.  Also works brilliantly on stern drives and all stern gear, removing all scale etc right back to clean fresh metal without any scraping or scrubbing meaning you don't spend hours under there and that nothing gets damaged.  Give everything a good wash off with water after to neutralise the acid.  Most boatyards in the med use this when boats are lifted out. 

Oxalic acid from the WWW. cheap as chips and does not damage GRP or gel coat. Used in pressure washers by many yards to "acid" wash hulls. I just mix it in a garden sprayer, leave a few minutes then wash off. Also removes rust stains, black marks etc. can be mixed as a paste for tough stains. Also used in wood working to bleach wood or remove staining, good for concrete and patios, one product does the lot.

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1 hour ago, Wildfuzz said:

Oxalic acid from the WWW. cheap as chips and does not damage GRP or gel coat. Used in pressure washers by many yards to "acid" wash hulls. I just mix it in a garden sprayer, leave a few minutes then wash off. Also removes rust stains, black marks etc. can be mixed as a paste for tough stains. Also used in wood working to bleach wood or remove staining, good for concrete and patios, one product does the lot.

Ah Stuart, but, does it remove the common criminal at large?:naughty:

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  • 6 months later...
On ‎12‎/‎09‎/‎2016 at 8:31 AM, Timbo said:

"You can always buy more wood!" Obi Wan BrundallNavy
One of the best tips I've been given!

A tip of my own...boats, well old boats, were built using the imperial measurement scale, timber is sold in metric measurements, tools are sold in metric measurements and imperial measurements but most often are metric equivalents of standard imperial sizes. So pick a measurement system and stick to just that measurement system don't mix imperial with metric. 

Additional sticky 'mesures' can be bout from www.rutlands.co.uk and www.axminster.co.uk in both imperial and metric to apply to machinry etc.

A tip I've not tried yet is...Quite a few boaters were chuckling when I parted with quite a bit of cash for some bilgex. I was advised to buy some dishwasher liquitabs and scatter them in the bilges every now and then.

Years ago it was traditional to "salt the bilges" especially on inland wooden boats although this was done to open boats on the sea that took in rain water. The theory was that the salt killed any fungi or nasty things in the wood.

In Nelson's era all navel vessels were built using wood that was pickled in brine for a considerable time before being used for boatbuilding.

Just get a bag of sea salt and save your money, it will do just as well. 

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On 28 October 2007 at 6:40 PM, Baz said:

There's an old saying............Measure twice, and cut only once.Saves a lot of heartache, and tears.

 

Baz

But if you're drilling a hole through the hull, measure twice fair enough, mark it up.

Have a cup of tea, measure twice again... take your smallest drill and see where the hole really is... if ok enlarge to suit.

You could try the magnet trick, needs two people, and a nail or something ferrous, place magnet where you think it should go, then go search for the magnet with the nail on the other side.

Sometimes... you ask yourself... where did that bulkhead come from, or that gas pipe looks a bit close.

 

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22 hours ago, Polly said:

Salt! Brilliant! Poor Brilliant has had a torrid lay up and fungus has appeared. I shall be there with the salt.

Sometimes the old ways are still valid. Another thing to consider is that salt is cheap, natural and eco friendly, except to nasty things like fungi.

Great on fish 'n chips too!     :)

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On ‎05‎/‎04‎/‎2017 at 2:02 PM, Viking23 said:

But if you're drilling a hole through the hull, measure twice fair enough, mark it up.

Have a cup of tea, measure twice again... take your smallest drill and see where the hole really is... if ok enlarge to suit.

You could try the magnet trick, needs two people, and a nail or something ferrous, place magnet where you think it should go, then go search for the magnet with the nail on the other side.

Sometimes... you ask yourself... where did that bulkhead come from, or that gas pipe looks a bit close.

 

Sage advice Viking 23. Thanks for the tip using the magnet. That could be very useful in other areas other than boats and it is a bit cheaper than buying one of those electric wire/pipe/stud finders.

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Something else you might want to consider, when to throw the towel in when you are tired?

Don't wait till you make a mistake, or cut yourself or have a near miss, although I tend to follow that route myself... (well I did lol)... before packing in for the night, or even just for an afternoon session. 

I have done this...  Tightening a bolt.... I'll just do it up... that tiny... tiny ... bit more...  b i t   m o r e ...

" crack"... sheared the bolt, stripped the thread, or cracked the item you are tightening. 

I'll just turn that tap a big more.... oops

Just put an extra spray coat of paint on before retiring... to find either you catch the can on the painted finish, or just put a fraction too much paint on it and....     you have a run doh...

This is a near miss one too... I'm sure I took that mains fuse out before I grabbed hold of the wiring in the washing machine.

 

You are doing some wiring... radio nearly wired in... I'll test it out see if it works... I'm sure that red wire is the + 12 volts..... phutttttt... quick flash, radio up in smoke...

 

Know when you are tired, know when you should pack in.

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Having been at this woodwork malarkey for a year now I have a few more tips of my own. The old phrase 'a poor workman blames his tools' is so much cobblers! Cheap crap tools are...cheap crap tools. Having bought myself what I considered 'beginners' level tools....I'm now having to replace them all with good quality. There is such a thing as a bargain...but never cheap. Having better tools does not make me a better woodworker...but it means the cuts I make are going to be square.

Start with straight, flat timber.

Don't buy timber from 'DIY' shops it's never straight. Go to a local timber yard and take the time to get to know them and them to know you and your abilities. My local yard knows I buy hardwood timber for both the boat and for box making so will save me 'exotic' or uncommon timber like yew, cherry, jatoba and plane them down ready for box making...and sell them to me for next to nothing!

I spent £200 on TWO dust collection systems from Amazon. Bargain! Both are currently on the boat but one fits into its own wooden box outside my shed and I have an extending hose that runs to each and every tool. The first time I used a dust collector I was amazed at the amount of dust particles and crap that it picked up that I would otherwise have been breathing in.

Finally WHEELS! Everything from my table saw, to my band saw and jointer and planer all sit on individual stands made from 2x4's and fitted with locking castors. This means in my small 7x8 shed I can wheel machinery in and out of the shed or out of my way as I need to without any heavy lifting.

 

 

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I have an industrial vacuum for when I am using the big table saw, or the small one, its amazing how quickly the vacuum fills up with sawdust, it was purchased at a boot fair for just a couple of quid, another £8 for a new filter and its doing sterling service - that reminds me I should hook it up to my  belt sander while sanding too. (especially when I have it clamped to the bench)

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  • 1 year later...
  • 10 months later...

I’ve found that electrical items in my boat can be controlled remotely via the internet at a very reasonable cost.

This is of course, over and above the cost of the mooring which in my case provides 240v shore power and Wi-Fi.

I’m no computer expert or electrician but a basic understand of both is enough. The Sonoff switch is available in a few forms but I use the TH16 which will handle up to 16amps, plenty for most domestic items I would have thought. It is also available in 10 amp but the price saving is minimal. In basic set-up it allows you to switch a circuit on and off. Optional extras are a submersible thermometer or a temperature/humidity sensor. A TH16 and temp/humidity sensor together are less than £15.

Wi-fi plugs are also available for not much more if you shop around.

The Sonoff is controlled via a free app which you download to your smartphone and it will also give readings for which ever sensor is fitted.

It all came about because of damp and mould in my boat, and the fact that it’s 135 miles away! I bought a recommended desiccant style dehumidifier and via the app, I am able to monitor the atmosphere in the boat and control the dryer accordingly. It works a treat and I usually have the dryer on for a couple of hours or so in the night, obviously less and less as summer comes along.

I have now bought another TH16 ready for next winter to control the frost heaters. Both the dryer and the heaters have settings which would take over in the event of Wi-fi failure, and circuit breakers beyond that; all safe. Just remember to test it before coming home!

Here is a video of my installation: 

As a postscript - I have now learned how to use the timer functions of the software and find them very useful.

Under my boat’s dark blue cover I’ve seen 39 degrees one sunny day and 90% humidity one cold night!

Floyd

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On 07/04/2017 at 09:42, Timbo said:

Start with straight, flat timber.

Don't buy timber from 'DIY' shops it's never straight. Go to a local timber yard and take the time to get to know them and them to know you and your abilities. My local yard knows I buy hardwood timber for both the boat and for box making so will save me 'exotic' or uncommon timber like yew, cherry, jatoba and plane them down ready for box making...and sell them to me for next to nothing!

That's my problem...

I can buy planed wood from DIY shops - horrible springy stuff wrapped in plastic so you can't tell what shape it's going to be until you've bought it and taken the plastic off.

Or...there is a timber yard just down the road that will sell proper wood (and even deliver at a reasonable charge). But it's unplaned.

They say they can't get decent planed wood, but they can't or won't plane it themselves.

I don't fancy having to get a decent plane and learn how to use it for the minimal amount of woodworking I do.

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1 hour ago, Coryton said:

That's my problem...

I can buy planed wood from DIY shops - horrible springy stuff wrapped in plastic so you can't tell what shape it's going to be until you've bought it and taken the plastic off.

Or...there is a timber yard just down the road that will sell proper wood (and even deliver at a reasonable charge). But it's unplaned.

They say they can't get decent planed wood, but they can't or won't plane it themselves.

I don't fancy having to get a decent plane and learn how to use it for the minimal amount of woodworking I do.

I can always run it through a planner as long as it’s less than 8 inches wide.

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On 07/04/2017 at 09:42, Timbo said:

Having been at this woodwork malarkey for a year now I have a few more tips of my own. The old phrase 'a poor workman blames his tools' is so much cobblers! Cheap crap tools are...cheap crap tools. Having bought myself what I considered 'beginners' level tools....

 

Finally WHEELS! Everything from my table saw, to my band saw and jointer and planer all sit on individual stands made from 2x4's and fitted with locking castors. This means in my small 7x8 shed I can wheel machinery in and out of the shed or out of my way as I need to without any heavy lifting.

 

 

The first I had long since learned, 

The second is being implemented now, using your idea,  I've built a U Shaped work bench,  into which will plug in, band saw,  bench grinder,  pillar drill,  a plain work top, large metal vise, . All trolleys are to have shelves beneath to hold any equipment specific accessories. 

The bench is arranged so I can get a 8ft plank / sheet of ply on in One Direction. 

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On 07/04/2017 at 09:42, Timbo said:

Having been at this woodwork malarkey for a year now I have a few more tips of my own. The old phrase 'a poor workman blames his tools' is so much cobblers! Cheap crap tools are...cheap crap tools. Having bought myself what I considered 'beginners' level tools....I'm now having to replace them all with good quality. There is such a thing as a bargain...but never cheap. Having better tools does not make me a better woodworker...but it means the cuts I make are going to be square.

Although....

Some years ago I needed wire strippers in a hurry. I got one from a pound shop to use until I get get a decent one. Except that it did the job just fine, and I'm still using it nearly 10 years later.

I think that's the exception rather than the rule, though.

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